Glenn:

Various types of splitting and cracking are very common on apples. What you have on that apple is minor and superficial cracking. Some cracking seems variety-dependent (i.e. deep vertical splits on Stayman; circumferential splits on Cox's Orange Pippin), but it is primarily due to the interplay of sunlight and heat with rainfall and general weather conditions. Some parts of the country can grow apples with virtually no cracking at all, but those of us who grow apples in the East often see a lot of it. As far as I can tell after growing apples for over 30 years, there is not much to be done about it.

Bagged apples sometimes crack in the bags, but the bags are not a good explanation since unbagged apples also crack. Early apples seem more prone to cracking, but some late varieties can crack also.

I wonder why you find it necessary to drip irrigate your apples every other day in Rhode Island. There has been more than adequate rainfall in that area this season. Your climate is not so different from mine, and I have never watered apples as a matter of routine; only occasionally on younger trees in prolonged dry spells of more than 3-4 weeks. I would suggest you could stop that drip irrigation completely with no harm to your apple trees. They might even develop better root systems. I am not suggesting that your irrigation is responsible for the minor cracking. I doubt that it is.

A little superficial cracking on an early apple is nothing to be alarmed about. If you grow an assortment of apple varieties over a period of years, and have a few thunderstorms followed by intense heat and humidity, you will eventually see a lot worse than that.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Hi Don-

Thank you for all the great info!

Yep, the apples were bagged. Yep, it was superficial and we ate it anyway.

Ahhh, I should have been clearer. It's not drip irrigation but rather a whole yard (grass) irrigation system. I'm trying to balance keeping the grass and the trees happy. So far, I haven't seen an increase in diseases, etc. with the excess moisture... in fact, the opposite considering how wet of a year we had last year. IÂm giving that area less water than the grass would normally prefer, and because of that, it hasnÂt seemed to affect the flavor of the apples.

Cox orange pippen is one of the first varieties IÂd like to graft onto my existing trees. ItÂs good to know that itÂs a splitter too. Thanks again for all the great info!

-Glenn

Glenn: I was going to leave a comment but am out of time... gotta split.

Glenn,
I have noticed young trees are more prone to cracking. Maturity should level out those hormone spikes.

We won't get a drop of rain from April to November and so my apples are on timed drip irrigation; some varieties still crack while the variety right next to it is fine. Stump grew out of the habit while Kidd's Orange Red still annoyingly does it. We have a thick layed of mulch carpeting the trees to even out soil moisture, and some varieties do it anyway.

My McIntosh has split this year. First time I've ever noticed it.